This invention relates to portable cushions for chairs, more particularly, to such cushions of the orthopedic type which may be fabricated in the configuration of a valise or carrying case.
The applicant has found that the rearward portion of the seat on many standard straight chairs is lower than the front portion by about one inch for a seat having a front-to-rear depth of fourteen inches. In other words, the surface of the seat slopes downwardly toward the rear. For convenience, such rearward-facing sloping may sometimes be referred to hereinafter as "negative pitch." Similarly, a seat which is sloped forwardly may be referred to as having "positive pitch."
Ordinarily, a chair having a negative pitch of an inch or so over a distance of fourteen inches is quite comfortable. Indeed, such a configuration may promote relaxation, and, consequently, is well suited for such passive activities as reading, eating or simply quiet sitting. On the other hand, when one is required to work with his limbs while seated, a negatively pitched seat is not desirable. A viola player, for example, finds that he becomes fatigued fairly easily when seated in a standard folding chair having negative pitch. Unfortunately, one routinely finds such chairs in regular use by institutions which provide seating for orchestras and bands and other groups or individuals engaged in non-passive activities.
The applicant has found that the use of a chair having a seat with positive pitch promotes a posture more suited to doing work with one's limbs in front of himself while seated. When a person is seated in such a chair, the sacrum is tilted forward, tending to produce a more normal alignment of the spinal column than would be the case when seated in a chair with negative pitch. Better blood circulation, breathing and nerve flow are thereby promoted. The field of visual focus is widened while tension and fatigue are relieved. Overall posture, comfort and performance are improved.
A further disadvantage involved in using the usual folding chairs for non-passive activities in that the seating surface itself is usually hard and, therefore, produces soreness during any prolonged use.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a portable device which could be applied to a conventional folding chair in order to change its pitch from negative to positive. It would be even more advantageous to provide such a device which would, at the same time, eliminate the problem associated with the hardness of conventional seating surfaces. Finally, recognizing that the user of such a portable device would normally be doing so in connection with some activity such as playing a musical instrument in a band, it would be helpful to provide storage capacity in the device to carry his music folders, record albums or other equipment involved in the activities, as well as such additional items as wallets, key cases and the like which would otherwise cause bulges in his pants pockets and a certain amount of discomfort while the user is sitting. The present invention provides all of these advantages in a clever, compact, durable and relatively inexpensive device which can be carried in the manner of a valise and simply placed on a standard folding chair.